Managing user information—background processing

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer-readable medium are provided for managing user information. For example, subscription information may be received from an application that identifies a data type associated with information of a user. The application may be launched as a background process at least in response to receipt of a portion of the information that corresponds to the data type. In some examples, the application may be relaunched as the background process at least until receipt of a confirmation that the application has processed the portion of the information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/499,461, filed Sep. 29, 2014, entitled “ManagingUser Information—Background Processing,” by Keen, et al., which claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/006,031, filed May30, 2014, entitled “Managing User Information,” by Keen, et al., whichare hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. The presentapplication is also related to Provisional Application Ser. No.62/006,062, filed May 30, 2014, entitled “Wellness Aggregator,” byKennedy, et al., the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated byreference as if fully set forth herein, under 35 U.S.C. § 120. Thepresent application is also related to Non-Provisional application Ser.No. 14/499,449, filed Sep. 29, 2014, entitled “Managing UserInformation—Authorization Masking,” by Keen, et al., Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/499,512, filed Sep. 29, 2014, entitled “ManagingUser Information—Data Type Extension,” by Keen, et al., andNon-Provisional application Ser. No. 14/499,519, filed Sep. 29, 2014,entitled “Managing User Information—Source Prioritization,” by Keen, etal., the entire contents of each are hereby incorporated by reference asif fully set forth herein, under 35 U.S.C. § 120.

BACKGROUND

People are becoming more and more aware of the importance of regularexercise for maintaining one's health. Additionally, a plethora ofelectronic devices are now available that can track a person's physicalactivity throughout the day. Such devices can connect or otherwisecommunicate with other mobile devices, for example, to help track,manage, and/or analyze data associated with the person's physicalactivity. However, health and activity data continues to be consideredextremely personal and often times confidential. As such, developers anddevice manufacturers continue to identify challenges when providingapplications and/or devices for collecting and sharing a user's healthinformation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide systems, methods, andcomputer-readable medium for managing user information (e.g., personalinformation collected by one or more external devices). In someexamples, a data interchange may be managed that enables and/or allowsthird-party applications to provide user information to the datainterchange and potentially retrieve user information provided by otherthird-party applications. While managed, the data interchange may beconfigured to provide access to particular data types of the user databased at least in part on authorization from the user associated withthe data.

According to one embodiment, a method may be executed by a computersystem to at least maintain a secure storage configured to store healthdata corresponding to a plurality of data types. The method may alsocause the computer system to receive, from a third-party application, asubscription to at least one data type of the plurality of data typesand a frequency associated with the subscription. The computer systemmay receive a portion of the health data corresponding to the at leastone data type. The method may also cause the computer system to launchthe third-party application as a background process based at least inpart on the frequency associated with the subscription and set a triggerto relaunch the third-party application as the background process withina time period. In some examples, the computer system may cancel thetrigger to relaunch the third-party application when confirmation thatthe third-party application has processed the portion of the health datais received within the time period or relaunch the third-partyapplication as the background process when the confirmation is notreceived from the third-party application within the time period.

In some cases, the portion of the health data corresponding to the atleast one data type may be received from an application associated witha data collection device. The frequency may be configured by thethird-party application. In some examples, the frequency may identify anamount of time between receipt of the portion of the health data andlaunching the third-party application as the background process.Additionally, the third-party application may be launched without arequest from a data collection device or the third-party application.The time period may be configured to be increased for each relaunchingof the third-party application, and the increase may be exponential to athreshold amount of time.

According to another embodiment, a system may be implemented as acomputing device configured with a memory and a processor. The processormay be configured to execute instructions stored on the memory toconfigure the memory to receive subscription information from anapplication that identifies a data type associated with information of auser. The processor may also be configured to execute the instructionsto launch the application as a background process at least in responseto receipt of a portion of the information that corresponds to the datatype, and relaunch the application as the background process at leastuntil receipt of a confirmation that the application has processed theportion of the information.

In some examples, the application may be enabled to request the receivedportion of the information while running as the background process. Theapplication may also be enabled to process the received portion of theinformation and return the confirmation that the application hasprocessed the portion of the information while running as the backgroundprocess. The subscription information may identify the data type and afrequency associated with the subscription, and the frequency mayidentify an amount of time between the receipt of the portion of theinformation and launching the application as the background process. Insome cases, the processor may be further configured to execute thecomputer-executable instructions to at least relaunch the application asthe background process based at least in part on a time interval whenthe confirmation is not received within the time interval. The timeinterval may be increased after each relaunch of the application as thebackground process.

According to another embodiment, a computer-readable medium may includeinstructions that, when executed, configure a computer processor tostore first data of a plurality of data types for a user. Theinstructions may further configure the processor to receive, from afirst application, a subscription to at least one of the plurality ofdata types and/or receive, from a second application, second data of theplurality of data types. The instructions may also configure theprocessor to launch the first application as a background process aftera first time period when the subscription corresponds to the seconddata. The first application may also be relaunched as the backgroundprocess after a second time period when no confirmation that the firstapplication has processed the second data within the second time periodis received.

In some examples, the first application may be a third-party applicationconfigured to process health information associated with the pluralityof health data types. The second application may be configured toreceive the second data from a data collection device configured tocollect health information of the user. Additionally, the firstapplication may be launched and/or relaunched as the background processwithout receipt of an instruction, from the data collection device orthe first application, to launch or relaunch the first application. Thefirst application may be configured to request the second data whilelaunched or relaunched as the background process. The first time periodmay be configurable by the first application, and the second time periodmay change by a configurable amount after each relaunch of the firstapplication as the background process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an examplearchitecture for managing user information as described herein,according to at least one example.

FIG. 2 is another simplified block diagram with connection flowsillustrating at least some features of managing user information asdescribed herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 3 is another simplified block diagram illustrating another examplearchitecture for managing user information as described herein,according to at least one example.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating additional features ofmanaging user information as described herein, according to at least oneexample.

FIG. 5 is simplified data structure diagram illustrating at least someinformation associated with managing user information as describedherein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for managing user information asdescribed herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 7 is another flowchart of a method for managing user information asdescribed herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 8 is another simplified block diagram illustrating another examplearchitecture for managing user information as described herein,according to at least one example.

FIG. 9 is another flowchart of a method for managing user information asdescribed herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 10 is another flowchart of a method for managing user informationas described herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 11 is another simplified block diagram illustrating another examplearchitecture for managing user information as described herein,according to at least one example.

FIG. 12 is another flowchart of a method for managing user informationas described herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 13 is another flowchart of a method for managing user informationas described herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 14 is another simplified block diagram illustrating another examplearchitecture for managing user information as described herein,according to at least one example.

FIG. 15 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example userinterface for presenting user information as described herein, accordingto at least one example.

FIG. 16 is another flowchart of a method for managing user informationas described herein, according to at least one example.

FIG. 17 is another flowchart of a method for managing user informationas described herein, according to at least one example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

In the following description, various examples will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theexamples may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe example being described.

Examples of the present disclosure are directed to, among other things,managing personal information from external sources, or other remoteperipheral device of a user. In some examples, the information collectedby the data collection devices may be provided to a user device (e.g., amobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable computingdevice, etc.) and/or one or more first-party or third-party applicationsof the user device. In some examples, a first-party application may beone that is provided with the operating system (O/S) of the user device,is configured to operate natively with the user device, provided by thedevelopers of the O/S for use with the user device, and/or trusted bythe O/S and/or device. Alternatively, a third-party application may beone that is provided by a third-party or entity other than thedeveloper/manufacturer of the user device and/or it's O/S. Additionally,in some non-limiting examples, the information being collected and/ormanaged may be health, fitness, and/or activity information of the user(e.g., blood glucose levels, weight, height, calories burned, heartrate, etc.). The user information may be categorized or otherwiseidentified by one or more data types (or categories). Weight, number ofsteps walked, number of calories burned, heart rate, etc., are each anexample of a data type. Other data types (e.g., outside of healthinformation) are also envisioned including, but not limited to, hoursworked, hourly rate, miles per hour, pages read per minute, etc.

In some cases, a first-party application framework may be executed on auser device that is configured to receive, store, manage, and/or providesuch user information to a service provider, to third-partyapplications, to other first-party applications, and/or to local storageof the user device. As part of the first-party framework, a first-partyprocess may be executed by processors of the user device. Thefirst-party process may include, but is not limited to, a daemon orother background process configured to communicate with the third-partyapplications, the O/S of the user device, and/or electronic storage ofthe user device. In some instances, first-party process may beconfigured to manage a data interchange for sharing some user data withthird-party applications. In this way, the first-party process mayenable third-party applications to access user information that wasinitially provided by the third-party application, a first-partyapplication, or other third-party applications. However, as noted,health information of a user may be considered extremely personal and/orconfidential; thus, the user may be given the ability to protect orotherwise not share some of the heath information with some, any, or allof the third-party applications (even the ones that provided the healthinformation to the first-party process initially). As such, eachthird-party application may be instructed to request authorization foraccessing particular (or all) data types from the data interchange.

In some examples, when a third-party application requests authorizationto access one or more data types of a user's information, thefirst-party process may be configured to mask whether the user hasgranted the authorization request. In other words, the third-partyapplication may not be able to identify whether the user has grantedauthorization or whether the user has not entered data for that datatype. In some examples, this masking may be implemented by providing thesame response (e.g., an empty or null result) in either case. That is,the first-party process may instead indicate to the third-partyapplication that the authorization request was provided to the user, andnot indicate the user's response. Thus, if the user has not provided adata entry for the weight data type, the third-party application mayreceive a null result when attempting to retrieve that data type.Similarly, if the use has provided their weight, but has not authorizedaccess to the third-party application, when the user's weight isrequested, the first-party process may also provide a null or emptyresult (even though a data entry for that data type exists).

In other examples, third-party applications may be able to subscribe tocertain data types, and the first-party process may be configured toautomatically wake up the third-party application (e.g., in thebackground) and ensure that the third-party application is able toprocess the data. For example, a third-party application of the user maysubscribe to a blood pressure data type and indicate an associatedsubscription frequency. Based at least in part on that frequency, when anew blood pressure reading is received by the first-party process, theprocess may wake up the appropriate third-party application background,provided with the new data and provide it with the updated data. Theprocess may then wait for confirmation that the third-party applicationhas processed the data. If the process does not receive the confirmationwithin a specified time, the process may again launch the third-partyapplication, provide the data, and wait for confirmation. In this way,the process can ensure that the third-party application receives thedata even if the user has not explicitly requested it.

In at least some aspects, a plug-in framework may be utilized toimplement data types that are initially available for use by thefirst-party process and/or registered third-party applications. Plug-insof the plug-in framework may register new data types that adhere todifferent identifiers so they can store their own data in the databaseautomatically. In some examples, the plug-ins may be implemented as codethat can read application programming interface (API) method calls withidentifiers and/or strings associated with the data types. Further, byutilizing an asset download, a service provider may enable the additionof new data types not initially provided with the first-party process(e.g., on demand). As such, the service provider may identify one ormore data types not initially implemented within the first-partyframework that are being requested by users/developers. The serviceprovider may publish information about the new data type and/or how toutilize it. Additionally, the service provider may provide data to theuser device for the first-party process to interpret. Once interpreted,and registered with the process, the plug-ins may be utilized toimplement these new data types.

In other examples, multiple different third-party applications (e.g.,each in communication with a data collection device) may provide userdata to the first-party process. For example, a step counter may providedata to an associated third-party application. This third-partyapplication may provide step information to the first-party process.Additionally, the user may utilize a second type of data collectiondevice that also provides step information about the user to a differentthird-party application. In this case, the user may be enabled toprovide priority information to the process such that the process isable to aggregate the step information from the two sources in ameaningful way. The data may be aggregated from a statisticalperspective (e.g., to determine the actual number of steps walked by theuser) and/or the data may be aggregated to provide a user interface (UI)that helps the user visualize the number of steps they walked. In somecases, the priority information may identify which data (e.g., fromwhich source) to use when there are multiple data entries for the samepoint in time. In some examples, the source with the highest prioritymay be rendered when there is overlap in cumulative data (e.g., stepswalked are cumulative because they can be summed to a total). In otherexamples, discrete data may be collected and presented in a way thatshows the multiple different data entries for each point in time. Forexample, weight is an example of a discrete data type because one'sweight would not be summed over the day to determine a total weight.

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified architecture diagram 100 depicting auser device 102 configured to implement a first-party applicationframework 104. As noted above, the first-party application framework 104may be configured as an application framework for managing user data ofa plurality of data collection devices. While health data is used as anexample throughout much of this disclosure, any type of data that may becollected or otherwise provided about a user may be managed by thefirst-party application framework 104. In some examples, because thefirst-party application framework 104 is provided or otherwisecontrolled by developers of the user device 102 and/or its associatedO/S, the first-party application framework 104 may be considered atrusted framework with full access to all user data. In some examples,the first-party application framework 104 may be configured with one ormore processes executed by the user device 102. For example, afirst-party process 106 may be executed in the background such that theuser is not aware that it is running. In this way, the first-partyapplication framework 104 may be able to manage the user data wheneverdesired without interfering with the everyday use of the user device102. Additionally, in this way, the first-party application framework104 may be able to communicate with one or more third-party applications108, also without interruption of the user's use of the user device 102.

In some examples, the first-party process 106 may be configured tomanage (e.g., store, retrieve, encrypt, etc.) user data via a database109 of the user device 102. As part of the first-party applicationframework 104, the database 109 may be divided or otherwise logicallyseparated into a plurality of classes of data stores. For example, theuser data may be stored in at least one of a class A data store 110, aclass B data store 112, a class C data store 114, and/or a class D datastore. In some examples, the class A data store 110 may be configured tostore personally identifiable user information (e.g., personal health,fitness, or activity data). In some examples, this data is onlyavailable to the third-party application 108 when the user device 102 isunlocked. By way of example only, the user device 102 may be unlockedwhen the user associated with the user device 102 has correctly enteredhis or her user identifier (ID) and password (e.g., when logging inand/or unlocking the lock screen). In some aspects, the class B datastore 112 may be configured to store “journal” type data. Journal datamay include, but is not limited to, personally identifiable userinformation and/or other metrics associated with use of one or more datacollection devices and/or the third-party application 108. When the userdevice 102 is locked, the journal data of the class B data store 112 maybe inaccessible to the third-party application 108. However, in someexamples, data from a data collection device or an application (e.g.,the third-party application 108) may be read from or written to theclass B data store 112 by the first-party process 106 while the deviceis locked as long as the first-party process 106 is active. If, however,the first-party process 106 fails or otherwise becomes inactive in theprocess of reading or writing data to the class B data store 112, thedata may become permanently inaccessible, and new data may not bewritten to the class B data store 112 until the first-party process 106and/or a new session of the third-party application 108 have relaunched.In this way, the data of the class B data store remains securelyaccessible because it is only accessible to the first-party process 106while receiving data from a third-party application 108 during theactive session, and no other applications can read that data.

In some aspects, the class C data store 114 may be configured to storemetadata associated with the management of the user health, fitness,and/or activity data. This metadata, in some cases, may only beaccessible after the first unlock of the user device 102. As such, ifthe user device 102 reboots (based at least in part on a software issueor a loss of battery power), this data may not be available until theuser unlocks at least once. In some aspects, this may preventjailbreaking or other hacking techniques from accessing this data. Themetadata stored in the class C data store 114 may include subscriptioninformation, access permission information, and/or safe metadata, butmay not, in some examples, identify or be directly associated with anyhealth information (e.g., the data stored in the class A data store110). The class D data store 116 may be configured to store free-form(e.g., unstructured) information provided by the user. In some examples,this may be health data; however, it may not be updatable and/or linkedto any third-party applications (e.g., the third-party application 108)or data collection devices. The class D data may always be available tothe first-party process 106 and/or the third-party application 108. Insome aspects, the class D data may be pre-filled using information fromthe third-party application 108 and/or one or more other applications orprocesses. However, the user may be able to enter additional data,update the data, include incorrect data, or otherwise configure theinformation in the class D data store 116 as they see fit. The class Ddata may be available on the lock screen of the user device 102 withoutanyone (e.g., the user) logging in or otherwise unlocking the userdevice 102. In this way, the lock screen or another accessible screen ofthe user device 102 may be analogous to a medical ID bracelet. In somecases, an emergency icon or other function on the lock screen may enablethe presentation or rendering of the class D data upon request foranyone (e.g., an emergency medical technician or the like) to see.Further, in some aspects, the third-party application 108 may not haveaccess to the class D data, in part because it may be unstructured datathat would be difficult for the third-party application 108 to process.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified architecture diagram 200 depictingadditional implementation details associated with the first-partyapplication framework 104 and how user data stored in the database 109can be accessed by the first-party process 106 and/or one or moredifferent third-party applications 202, 204, 206 (e.g., the third-partyapplication 108). In some examples, as noted above, the database 109 mayallow the first-party process 106 and/or the third-party applications202, 204, 206 to write health and medical data into the database 109 andread it back out. In various aspects, the third-party applications 202,204, 206 may actually populate the database 109 with data more than thefirst-party process 106. Thus, the first-party application framework 104may be configured to act as a data interchange between the applications.

The database 109 may be configured to store data of various differentdata types. For example, the database 109 may store data correspondingto data type A 208 and/or data type B 210. In some examples, onlycertain data types may be accessed by certain applications. Thus, somedata types may be read only for certain applications, inaccessible toother applications, yet fully accessible to yet other applications. Thedatabase 109 may be configured to store at least the following datatypes: weight, steps, blood pressure, heart rate, tobacco, glucoselevels, others described herein, or the like. In one non-limitingexample, the first-party process 106 may have read and write access toboth data type A 208 and data type B 210. However, the third-partyapplication 204 may only have write access to data type B 210.Additionally, while the third-party application 202 may only be able toread data type A 208, it may have both read and write access to datatype B 210. Further, in some examples, the third-party application 206may only be able to read data type B 210. However, any of these examplesmay be updated, changed, or otherwise configured by the user and/or bythe first-party process 106. As noted, the metadata that identifieswhich application has which type of access to which data type may bestored in the class C data store 114 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example architecture 300 for implementing themanagement of personal information from external sources that includesthe user device 102 of FIG. 1 as well as a data collection device 302and one or more service provider computers 304. In some examples, thedevices may be connected via one or more networks 308 and/or 312 (e.g.,via Bluetooth, WiFi, or the like). In architecture 300, one or moreusers may utilize the user device 102 to manage, control, or otherwiseutilize one or more data collection devices 302, via one or morenetworks 312.

In some examples, the networks 308, 312 may include any one or acombination of many different types of networks, such as cable networks,the Internet, wireless networks, cellular networks, satellite networks,other private and/or public networks, or any combination thereof. Whilethe illustrated example represents the user device 102 accessing theservice provider computers 304 via the networks 308, the describedtechniques may equally apply in instances where the user device 102interacts with the service provider computers 304 over a landline phone,via a kiosk, or in any other manner. It is also noted that the describedtechniques may apply in other client/server arrangements, as well as innon-client/server arrangements (e.g., locally stored applications, peerto peer configurations, etc.).

As noted above, the user device 102 may be configured to manage a datainterchange for reading and/or writing user data to the database 109,and for sharing that user data among one or more authorized third-partyapplications. In some examples, the data collection device 302 may beconfigured to provide health, fitness, activity, and/or medical data ofthe user to a third- or first-party application (or process). In turn,this data may be shared, aggregated, and/or accessed via the first-partyframework module 313 that may be configured to implement the first-partyapplication framework 104 of FIG. 1. The user device 102 may be any typeof computing device such as, but not limited to, a mobile phone, asmartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer(e.g., laptop or desktop), a thin-client device, a tablet computer, anelectronic book (e-book) reader, a wearable device, etc. In someexamples, the user device 102 may be in communication with the serviceprovider computers 304 and/or the data collection device 302 via thenetworks 308, 312, or via other network connections.

In one illustrative configuration, the user device 102 may include atleast one memory 314 and one or more processing units (or processor(s))316. The processor(s) 316 may be implemented as appropriate in hardware,software (e.g., computer-executable instructions, firmware, etc.), orcombinations thereof. Computer-executable instruction or firmwareimplementations of the processor(s) 316 may include machine-executableinstructions written in any suitable programming language to perform thevarious functions described. The user device 102 may also includegeo-location devices (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) device orthe like) for providing and/or recording geographic location informationassociated with the user device 102.

The memory 314 may store program instructions that are loadable andexecutable on the processor(s) 316, as well as data generated during theexecution of these programs. Depending on the configuration and type ofuser device 102, the memory 314 may be volatile (e.g., random accessmemory (RAM)) and/or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, etc.). The user device 102 may also include additional removablestorage and/or non-removable storage including, but not limited to,magnetic storage, optical disks, etc. The disk drives and theirassociated non-transitory computer-readable media may providenon-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions, program modules,data structures, and other data for the computing devices. In someimplementations, the memory 314 may include multiple different types ofmemory, such as RAM, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), or ROM. While the volatile memory described hereinmay be referred to as RAM, any volatile memory (e.g., that does notmaintain data stored therein once unplugged from a host and/or power)would be appropriate.

The memory 314 and the additional storage 326, both removable andnon-removable, are all examples of non-transitory computer-readablestorage media. For example, non-transitory computer readable storagemedia may include volatile or non-volatile, removable or non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage of informationsuch as computer-readable instructions, data structures, programmodules, or other data. The memory 314 and the additional storage 326are all examples of non-transitory computer storage media. Additionaltypes of computer storage media that may be present in the user device102 may include, but are not limited to, phase-change RAM (PRAM), SRAM,electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc(DVD), magnetic cassettes or tape, magnetic disk storage, or any othermedium that can be used to store the desired information and that can beaccessed by the user device 102. Combinations of any of the above shouldalso be included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readablemedia. Alternatively, computer-readable communication media may includecomputer-readable instructions, program modules, or other datatransmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, or othertransmission. However, as used herein, computer-readable storage mediadoes not include computer-readable communication media.

The user device 102 may also contain communications connection(s) 328that allow the user device 102 to communicate with a data store (e.g.,the database 109), or another computing device via the networks 308,312. The user device 102 may also include I/O device(s) 330, such as akeyboard, a mouse, a pen, a voice input device, a touch input device, adisplay, speakers, etc.

Turning to the contents of the memory 314 in more detail, the memory 314may include an operating system 332 and/or one or more applicationprograms or services for implementing the features disclosed hereinincluding an authorization module 334, a background module 336, anextension module 338, and/or an aggregation module 340. In someexamples, the authorization module 334 may be configured to manageauthorization requests from third-party applications for access of userdata stored in the database 109 (e.g., class A data of FIG. 1). Theauthorization module 334 may also be configured to mask when a userdenies authorization to a third-party application for a particular datatype. In this way, the third-party application may not be able to inferanything about the user based at least in part on the denial. Thebackground module 336 may be configured to launch and/or relaunchthird-party applications in as background process. In some examples, thebackground module 336 may also be configured to verify that thethird-party application has finished processing the data it requested,by continuing to relaunch the third-party application in the backgrounduntil notification is received that the third-party application hascompleted processing. The extension module 338 may be configured tohandle registering new data types with the first-party framework modulein order to extend the functionality of the first-party applicationframework 104 of FIG. 1. Further, the aggregation module 340 may beconfigured to aggregate or otherwise combine (and, in some examples,provide presentation for) user data received from multiple differentdata sources.

The service provider computers 304 may also be any type of computingdevice such as, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA,a personal computer, a thin-client device, a tablet computer, an e-bookreader, a wearable device, etc. In some examples, the service providercomputers 304 may be in communication with the user device 102 and/orthe data collection device 302 via the networks 308, 312, or via othernetwork connections.

In one illustrative configuration, the service provider computers 304may also include at least one memory 342 and one or more processingunits (or processor(s)) 344. The processor(s) 344 may be implemented asappropriate in hardware, computer-executable instructions, firmware, orcombinations thereof. Computer-executable instruction or firmwareimplementations of the processor(s) 344 may include computer-executableor machine-executable instructions written in any suitable programminglanguage to perform the various functions described.

The memory 342 may store program instructions that are loadable andexecutable on the processor(s) 344, as well as data generated during theexecution of these programs. Depending on the configuration and type ofservice provider computer 304, the memory 342 may be volatile (such asRAM) and/or non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.). The serviceprovider computer 304 may also include additional removable storageand/or non-removable storage 346 including, but not limited to, magneticstorage, optical disks, and/or tape storage. The disk drives and theirassociated non-transitory computer-readable media may providenon-volatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, and other data for the computing devices. In someimplementations, the memory 342 may include multiple different types ofmemory, such as SRAM, DRAM, or ROM. While the volatile memory describedherein may be referred to as RAM, any volatile memory that would notmaintain data stored therein once unplugged from a host and/or powerwould be appropriate. The memory 342 and the additional storage 346,both removable and non-removable, are all examples of non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media.

The service provider computer 304 may also contain communicationsconnection(s) 348 that allow the service provider computer 304 tocommunicate with a data store (e.g., the database 109 of the user device102 or another database), or another computing device via the networks308, 312. The service provider computer 304 may also include I/Odevice(s) 350.

Turning to the contents of the memory 342 in more detail, the memory 342may include an operating system 352 and/or one or more applicationprograms or services for implementing the features disclosed hereinincluding an asset upload module 354. In some examples, the asset uploadmodule 354 may be configured to manage mobile assets and/or prepare orotherwise generate information for enabling the user device 102 and/orthe first-party framework module 313 to extend the data types originallyconfigured within the first-party application framework 104 of FIG. 1.For example, the asset upload module 354 may be configured to identifyone or more new data types and generate data to be provided to the userdevice 102 for registering or otherwise effectuating the new data types.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram 400 for describing additionalfeatures of the management of user data from a data collection device asdescribed herein. In at least one non-limiting example, the flow 400 maybe implemented, at least in part, by the authorization module 334described above with reference to FIG. 3. As such, the flow 400 may befrom the perspective of the first-party process 106 residing on the userdevice 102 of FIG. 1. Communication may be between the first-partyprocess 106 and the third-party application 108 of FIG. 1 or between thefirst-party process 106 and any of the third-party applications 202,204, 206 of FIG. 2, or any other applications. In some examples, thefirst-party process 106 may receive a request 402 from the third-partyapplication 108. The request may be an attempt to identify whether thethird-party application has requested authorization for a particulardata type. For example, the third-party application may want to knowwhether it had already requested authorization for blood glucose levels,or weight, from the first-party process 106. At 404, the first-partyprocess 106 may respond with a “yes” or a “no.”

In some examples, the third-party application 108 may end here, if theyhave already requested authorization for the particular data type.Additionally, in some examples, the request at 402 may be for all datatypes, as opposed to a particular data type. In other examples, if thethird-party application 108 has not yet requested authorization for one,some, or all of the data types, the first-party process 106 may receivean authorization request 406. As noted above, the authorization requestmay be a set of data types, all the data types available (e.g., to limitthe number of these requests 406), or a particular data type. Oncereceived by the first-party process 106, the first-party process 106 mayforward this request to the user of the user device 102 (e.g., via a UIprovided to the user). At 410, the first-party process 106 may receive aresponse from the user indicating whether the user has authorized accessto that third-party application 108. The answer may be different foreach data type and/or for each third-party application. For example, andas noted in FIG. 3, each application may have different accessrestrictions for different data types. Independent of whether the userresponds “yes” or “no” at 410 to the data authorization request 406, thefirst-party process 106 may provide a response 412 to the first-partyprocess 106 that indicates that the first-party process 106 has providedthe data authorization request 408 to the user. In some examples, thisresponse 412 may be a simple “ok, done” response, or any other responsethat indicates that this step has been completed. However, the response412 may not indicate whether the user has authorized the access or not.In this way, the authorization grant or denial is masked to thethird-party application 108. Future requests 414 for access to thisparticular data type (e.g., one where access authorization was denied)may receive an empty or null result 416. Additionally, future requests414 for this data type may receive an empty or null result at 416 whennot data value exists, even if the access authorization was granted. Asimilar flow for write requests is envisioned as well; however, whenwrite access authorization is not granted, the first-party process 106may provide the last set of data that the third-party application 108attempted to write. Thus, the third-party application 108 may not beable to tell when read authorization requests are denied or when writeauthorization requests are denied.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example table 500 of values for demonstratingsample results provided to a third-party application by the first-partyprocess 106 of FIG. 1, for different scenarios. For example, in thetable 500, the first column represents data type 502, the second columnrepresents values 504 for that data type received from a third-partyapplication (or entered by a user), the next column represents whetherthe authorization request was sent 506, the fourth column representswhether the authorization was approved 508 by the user, and the finalcolumn represents an example result that would be provided to therequesting third-party application 510 based at least in part on thevalues of the other columns, per row.

In one non-limiting example, row 512 may represent a scenario for the“heart rate” data type. In this example, the user's heart rate may havebeen recorded as 78 beats per minute and the requesting application mayhave already provided an authorization request. Here, the user hasapproved the authorization request; as such, the result provided to therequesting application will match the value 78. This will even be thecase if the application requesting the data value was not theapplication that provided to the data value to the first-party process106. In another example, row 514 may represent a scenario for the“glucose” level data type. In this example, the user's glucose levelsmay not have been recorded. Thus, even though an authorization requesthas been sent and approved, no data result is available; as such, anempty result is provided to the application. At row 516, a similarscenario as shown in row 512 is depicted but for the “weight” data type.Here, the value in the data store is provided to the requestingapplication. At row 518, the “steps” (e.g., steps per minute) data typeshows a data value of 82. However, since no authorization request hasbeen submitted by the requesting application, there would not have beenan approval or a denial; as such, an error would be returned to therequesting application if they attempted to request that data type.Further, row 520 shows a “tobacco” data type that may indicate whetherthe user is a smoker and, if so, how many cigarettes (or otherquantifiable measure) they smoke per day. In some examples, a value of“5” may indicate that the user is a smoker and smokes five cigarettesper day, while a value of “0” may indicate that the user is anon-smoker. Here, the data value indicates that the user is a smoker,and the table 500 indicates that the application has requested accessauthorization. However, the user has denied the authorization requestfor this data type (e.g., maybe because this personal health informationis not something the user wishes to share with third-partyapplications). As such, even though a data result exists in the datastore, the result provided to the requesting application may be the sameas when no value existed. That is, when authorization is denied, theresult may be empty. In this way, the denial and approval ofauthorization requests can be masked by the type of response given tothe requesting application.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate example flow diagrams showing processes 500 and600 for managing personal information from external sources, accordingto at least a few embodiments. These processes, and any other processesdescribed herein, are illustrated as logical flow diagrams, eachoperation of which represents a sequence of operations that can beimplemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combinationthereof. In the context of computer instructions, the operations mayrepresent computer-executable instructions stored on one or morenon-transitory computer-readable storage media that, when executed byone or more processors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular data types. The order in which theoperations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.

Additionally, some, any, or all of the processes described herein may beperformed under the control of one or more computer systems configuredwith specific executable instructions and may be implemented as code(e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one ormore applications) executing collectively on one or more processors, byhardware, or combinations thereof. As noted above, the code may bestored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, forexample, in the form of a computer program including a plurality ofinstructions executable by one or more processors.

In some examples, the user device 102 (e.g., utilizing at least theauthorization module 334 shown in FIG. 3) may perform the process 600 ofFIG. 6. The process 600 may begin at 602 by including receipt of healthinformation of a user associated with a subset of a plurality ofdifferent data types. In some examples, this may include receiving asingle data entry of health data corresponding to a single data type ora set of data entries of health data corresponding to a single data typeeach. Additionally, in some cases, the health information may bereceived from one or more applications (e.g., a third-party applicationor a first-party application) of the user device 102, and may haveinitially been collected by a data collection device. At 604, theprocess 600 may include storing the health information of the user in asecure storage device. For example, the health information may be storedin a database configured to restrict access of the data to particularapplications based at least in part on configurable settings, therequesting application, and/or the data type being requested. In somecases, the process 600 may include receiving an authorization requestfor accessing a data type from a first application at 606. The process600 may also include providing an indication to the first applicationthat the authorization request was provided to the user at 608.

At 610, the process 600 may include receiving a request for healthinformation corresponding to the data type. This request may be receivedfrom the first application. At 612, the process 600 may also includeproviding an empty result to the first application when the user has notauthorized access. In this way, the fact that the user denied theauthorization request, the first application is not made of aware ofthis. In other words, the first application will not know whether theauthorization request was denied or whether no data value existed in thedata store for that data type. Further, in some examples, the process600 may include receiving another authorization request for accessingthe data type at 614. This request may come from a second application.At 616, the process 600 may include receiving an authorization grant forthe second application to access the same data type. In some aspects,the process 600 may end at 618, where the same indication given to thefirst application may be provided to the second application. That is,the same result (e.g., an empty result) may be provided to the firstapplication when the data type info (e.g., a value) was not provided asis provided to the second application when the data value was providedbut authorization was not granted.

FIG. 7 illustrates another process 700 for managing personal informationfrom external sources, according to at least a few embodiments. In someexamples, the user device 102 (e.g., utilizing at least theauthorization module 334 shown in FIG. 3) may perform the process 700 ofFIG. 7. The process 700 may begin at 702 by including storinginformation associated with a user in a data store. In some examples,the information may be health, fitness, activity, and/or medicalinformation collected from a data collection device (e.g., a WiFithermometer, scale, heart rate monitor, etc.). At 704, the process 700may include receiving a first request to access the information. Thefirst request may be received from an application being executed by theuser device 102. The first request may also be an access authorizationrequest (e.g., to request access to the information). In some examples,the process 700 may also include receiving a second request from theapplication for the information at 706. The second request may be anaccess request, the response to which may depend on whether the user hasgranted or denied the first request. The process 700 may includeproviding the information to the application when the user approves thefirst request at 708. That is, if the user has approved the accessauthorization request, when the application requests the information,the process 700 may provide it. However, in other examples, the process700 may end at 710, where denial of the first request (e.g., theauthorization request) may be masked at least in response to the secondrequest (e.g., the access request).

FIG. 8 illustrates another example architecture 800 for implementingadditional features of the management of personal information fromexternal sources, depicting the user device 102, the first-partyapplication framework 104, and the first-party process 106 of FIG. 1. Insome examples, as noted above, one or more third party applications(e.g., third-party source application 802 and/or third-party application804) may be in communication with the first-party application framework104 and/or the first-party process 106 for providing user informationcollected by a data collection device 806. In some examples, the datacollection device 806 may be any wearable or mobile device configured tocollect activity, health, medical, and/or fitness information about auser. This information may then be provided to one of the third-partyapplications (e.g., the third-party source application 802 in thisexample) via one or more networks 808. Once received by the third-partysource application 802, the information can be provided to thefirst-party process 106 for storage in the database 109.

In at least one non-limiting example, the third-party application 804may be configured to subscribe to one or more data types of the userinformation stored within the database 109. The third-party application804 may also include a frequency corresponding to each subscription. Insome examples, each subscription may be associated with a different datatype and have its own associated frequency. For example, the third-partyapplication 804 may subscribe to the “weight” data type with a frequencyof “daily,” and also subscribe to the “blood glucose level” data typewith a frequency of “immediate.” As such, in some examples, thefirst-party process 106 may launch the third-party application 804 inthe background when certain actions occur based at least in part on thesubscription, and provide the data to the third-party application 804while it is launched. For example, whenever the third-party sourceapplication 802 provides a new blood glucose reading (assuming the datacollection device 806 collects and provides such data), the first-partyprocess 106 may automatically launch the third-party application 804,enable it to request the new reading, and then provide the data to thethird-party application 804 based at least in part on the request. Inthis scenario, the third-party application 804 was launched nearlyimmediately (e.g., within a second or so) after the new blood glucosereading was received because the subscription frequency was set to“immediate,” thus, providing the data (e.g., the new blood glucosereading) nearly immediately. Alternatively, if the new reading had beenweight, the third-party application 804 may not have been launched (andthe data provided) until the end of the day based at least in part onthat subscription being set to “daily.”

In some cases, the third-party application 804 may receive the newreading (e.g., the blood glucose reading noted above) and begin toprocess the data 810. While the processing 810 may be agnostic to thefirst-party process 106 (e.g., the first-party process 106 may not knowwhat processing 810 is being done with the data reading), thefirst-party process 106 may be configured to look or otherwise poll fora transaction complete confirmation 812. In some examples, if thetransaction complete confirmation 812 is not received within aparticular time period, the first-party process 106 may relaunch thethird-party application 804 until the confirmation 812 is received. Inother examples, the first-party process 106 may be also be configured torelaunch the third-party application 804 if the third-party application804 crashes while running in the background. In other words, thefirst-party process 106 may be configured to repeatedly relaunch thethird-party application 804 in the background until the confirmation 812is received, thus ensuring that the third-party application 804 was ableto complete its processing 810. In this way, a virtual service levelagreement (SLA) may be provided to the third-party applications based atleast in part on the subscription.

In some cases, the frequency may be automatically determined based atleast in part on the type of data and/or a historical frequencyassociated with the data. For example, weight data doesn't generallychange that much within a day, so the frequency may be automatically setat daily. Alternatively, blood glucose level can change drasticallywithin a few minutes and can be life threatening. As such, the frequencyfor a subscription to blood glucose level may be automatically set at“immediate” or every “minute.” Additionally, in some examples, theamount of time the first-party process 106 waits before relaunching thethird-party application 804 in the background may change between eachrelaunch. For example, the first-party process 106 may launch thethird-party application 804 in the background upon the initial new bloodglucose reading (e.g., using the example above) and wait 2 minutes forthe third-party application 804 to provide the confirmation 812. If noconfirmation 812 is received within the two minute period, thefirst-party process 106 might relaunch the third-party application 804and wait a second period of time. In some cases, the period of time thatthe first-party process 106 waits may increase for each relaunch. Anexponential backoff function may be used to determine the wait periodbetween each relaunch. For example, if the first wait period is twominutes, the second wait period might be four minutes, then eightminutes, and so on. If the day (or a 24 hour period) ends withoutreceiving the confirmation 812, the first-party process 106 may startthe cycle over by waiting two minutes each period or it may switch towaiting for a more consistent period of time (e.g., relaunching thethird-party application 804 every day). Once confirmation is received,the first-party process 106 may stop relaunching the third-partyapplication 804. However, if the confirmation is never received, thefirst-party process 106 may continue to relaunch and wait forconfirmation 812 until confirmation 812 is eventually received that theprocessing 810 of the requested data is complete. For certainthird-party applications, this continual relaunch may save a user'slife.

In some cases, the first-party process 106 may not be configured toprovide the activity and/or health data to the third-party application804 when the user device 102 is locked (e.g., if that data is stored inthe class A data store 110). This configuration may be based at least inpart on privacy and/or security restrictions. Thus, some third-partyapplications 804 that are subscribed to certain data types may not beable to receive data if the device 102 is locked (typically because mosthealth and/or activity data is stored in the class A data store 110).Even if the third-party application 804 is able to be launched, it ispossible that the first-party process 106 may not be able to send thedata. However, in some cases, when a third-party application issubscribed to a data type, the corresponding data may instead be storedin the class C data store 114 so that it can be served even with theuser device 102 is locked. Once confirmation of the completedtransaction 812 is received, the first-party process 106 may remove orotherwise delete the corresponding data from the class C data store 114and/or move the corresponding data to the class A data store 110.Alternatively, or in addition, if the corresponding data is stored inthe class A data store 110, and the user device 102 is locked, anotification or alert may be provided on the lock screen that indicatesthat data is waiting to be sent to a third-party application 802, butthat the data cannot be sent until the device 102 is unlocked. Onceunlocked, the device 102 can provide the corresponding data from theclass A data store 110.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate example flow diagrams showing processes 900and 1000 for managing personal information from external sources,according to at least a few embodiments. In some examples, the userdevice 102 (e.g., utilizing at least the background module 336 shown inFIG. 3) may perform the process 900 of FIG. 9. The process 900 may beginat 902 by including maintenance of a secure storage device configured tostore health data corresponding to a plurality of data types. In someexamples, the secure data store may be configured similar to thedatabase 109 described above with reference to FIG. 1 (e.g., includingclass A, B, C, and/or D types of data). At 904, the process 900 mayinclude receiving, from a third-party application, a subscription to adata type and a frequency of the subscription. The process 900 may alsoinclude receiving a portion of health data corresponding to the datatype at 906. For example, the first-party process 106 of FIG. 1 mayreceive weight data, heart rate information, etc. of a user. At 908, theprocess 900 may include launching the third-party application in thebackground based at least in part on the frequency associated with thesubscription. Additionally, in some examples, the process 900 mayinclude setting a trigger to relaunch the third-party application in thebackground within a time period at 910. As noted, the time period may beconfigurable (e.g., by the first-party process 106, the third-partyapplication, and/or a user) and/or may be implemented using anexponential backoff algorithm or other method systematically changingthe time period between relaunches. In some examples, the trigger maycorrespond to the time period and/or an event (e.g., receipt of theconfirmation described above). Additionally, setting the trigger mayinclude identifying the triggering event (e.g., receipt of theconfirmation or tolling of a time period). At 912, the process 900 mayinclude determining whether confirmation of the third-party applicationprocessing is received. If the confirmation is received, the process 900may end at 914, where the process 900 may cancel the trigger (e.g.,close the polling loop that looks for the time period to end or theconfirmation to be received). Alternatively, if the confirmation is notreceived, the process 900 may end at 916, where the process 900 mayrelaunch the third-party application in the background and continue towait for the confirmation.

FIG. 10 illustrates another process 1000 for managing personalinformation from external sources, according to at least a fewembodiments. In some examples, the user device 102 (e.g., utilizing atleast the background module 336 shown in FIG. 3) may perform the process1000 of FIG. 10. The process 1000 may begin at 1002 by including storageof first data of a plurality of data types of a user. At 1004, theprocess 1000 may include receiving, from a first application, asubscription to one of the plurality of data types. The process 1000 mayalso include receiving, from a second application, second data of theplurality of data types at 1006. Additionally, in some examples, at1008, the process 1000 may include launching a first application in thebackground after a first time period when the subscription matches thesecond data. At 1010, the process 1000 may end by relaunching the firstapplication in the background after a second time period when noprocessing confirmation is received from the first application duringthe second time period.

FIG. 11 illustrates another example architecture 1100 for implementingadditional features of the management of personal information fromexternal sources, depicting the user device 102, the first-partyapplication framework 104, and the first-party process 106 of FIG. 1. Insome examples, as noted above, one or more service provider computers304 may be in communication with the first-party application framework104 and/or the first-party process 106 for providing one or more assetdownloads 1102 for extending the functionality of the first-partyapplication framework 104. In other words, an extension framework hasbeen built into the first-party application framework 104 to extend thelist of data types originally included with the first-party applicationframework 104 to include new data types, when desired. For example, if anew product is released on the market (e.g., a new data collectiondevice), and the first-party application framework 104 does not includea data type for managing the data that is collected by this new device(e.g., brisk minutes), the extension framework will be able to enablethe new data type to be added to the first-party application framework104 in between software releases (e.g., in between software code updatesfor the user device 102. In this way, new data types can be added,managed, and/or utilized without waiting for the next O/S release forthe user device 102.

In some examples, a third-party application may ask for a sample typeusing an API method that includes an identifier. The identifier may be astring that can be predefined and/or baked into the code for existingdata types. However, in some examples, once implemented via the assetdownload 1102 and published, a new string may be utilized to read fromand/or write to the new data type. Additionally, once implemented, anyapplication (e.g., third-party applications and/or first-partyapplications) may utilize the new data type. The asset download 1102 mayalso include additional information about the new data type including,but not limited to, what type it is (e.g., cumulative or discrete), whatstring should be used, the identifier, metadata about display,descriptions, etc.

Additionally, in some cases, the first-party process 106 may have theability to load plug-ins. The first-party process 106 may look forplug-ins in one or more particular directories, and the plug-ins may beconfigured to enable changes in behavior of the first-party process 106.For example, based at least in part on the device that the plug-ins areinstalled on, they may enable different behavior changes. In some cases,plug-ins may be utilized for creating differences in behavior (e.g., tomake the first-party process 106 behave differently than initiallyprogrammed). For example, a plug-in may be utilized to enable thefirst-party process 106 to register for notifications and/or harvestingdifferent data. Additionally, in some cases, the plug-ins may beutilized for registering the new data types, as described above.

As noted above, a third-party application may ask for a data type bymaking an API call, and passing in an identifier and/or a “kind.” The“kind” may include particular types of the data type (e.g., cumulative,discrete, or category). The identifier, in some cases, may berepresented as a string that is passed in via the API, and a data typemay be returned to the requesting application. The plug-ins, as noted,can register new data types that adhere to different identifiers so theycan store their own data in the database automatically. As such, thefirst-party process 106 may not need to manage or provide the new datatype data to the database 1104. Instead, the plug-ins may provide thedata to the updated database 1106, that includes the new data typesand/or both the original data types and the new data types.

In some examples, the asset download 1102 may be a data file (e.g., notexecutable code) that can be downloaded to the device to provide theappropriate information for extending the data types as described above.In some examples, the asset download 1102 may include data typedefinition updates. In this way, the user device 102 can download theasset download 1102 and have that information available on the devicefor access/use by third-party applications. Thus, once downloaded, andused by the first-party process 106 to configure the new data types, thethird-party applications can write to the new data type and read backfrom it. In some examples, the APIs for reading and writing to the newdata type may be extensible so that the executable code for the userdevice 102 does not need to be changed, but the first-party process 106can still support the new data type.

The asset download 1102 may be provided by the service providercomputers 304 and, as noted, may include all the information for the newdata types. In this way, the first-party process 106 may utilize theinformation in the asset download 1102 to register the new data typesidentified in the asset download 1102 instead of (or in addition to)using the plug-ins described above. The service provider computers 304may also publish the identifiers listed in the asset download 1102 to anetwork resource over a private or public network (e.g., the Internet).In some cases, if an identifier is published before an asset download1102 is implemented, and an application requests a data type that hasnot yet been registered with the first-party process 106, then thefirst-party process 106 may return an error (e.g., “nill” or a nullresult).

From an implementation perspective, one difference between changing thebehavior of the first-party process 106 with plug-ins versus the assetdownload 1102 is that plug-ins are executable code that includeappropriate information for making changes to the functionality, whilethe asset download 1102 is merely data. As such, code within first-partyprocess 106 may be executed to interpret the data of the asset download1102 and turn it into actual data types. Any number and/or type of newdata types may be added to the first-party application framework 104and/or utilized by the first-party process 106 even before latersoftware releases for the user device 102. In some cases, data types mayalso include analysis of the data values (e.g., whether a data value fora particular data type is good or bad for a particular user). Thisanalysis information may also be included in the asset download 1102and/or published to the network resource for availability to thedevelopers and/or third-party applications. Database 1104 may representthe state of the data types prior to implementation of the assetdownload 1102 (e.g., with the original data types), while the database1106 may represent the state of the data types after the implementationof the asset download 1102 (e.g., including the new data types).

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate example flow diagrams showing processes 1200and 1300 for managing personal information from external sources,according to at least a few embodiments. In some examples, the serviceprovider computers 304 (e.g., utilizing at least the asset upload module354 shown in FIG. 3) may perform the process 1200 of FIG. 12. Theprocess 1200 may begin at 1202 by including maintenance of a pluralityof data types. As noted, the data types may identify a category orattribute of health information including, but not limited to, weight,glucose levels, steps per minute, heart rate, miles traveled, etc. At1204, the process 1200 may include enabling storage, on the user device102, of first health information of a subset of the plurality of datatypes. In other words, the user device 102 may receive healthinformation corresponding to a single data type, even though multipledata types may exist or be possible.

At 1206, the process 1200 may include identifying a new data typerequested for use with a third-party application of the user device 102.In some examples, these new data types may be identified by the serviceprovider computers 304 receiving a request from a developer or otheruser of the framework. At 1208, the process 122 may include providingdata (e.g., the mobile asset) to the user device 102 that identifies theinformation about the new data type. In some aspects, the process 1200may also include publishing this information (e.g., the identifiers,descriptions, etc.) at 1210 to a network resource (e.g., a web page orother resource accessible over a network) that may be accessible to thepublic or at least to developers of third-party applications. At 1212,the process 1200 may include causing a background process (e.g., thefirst-party process 106) of the user device 102 to interpret the data toimplement the new data type. At 1214, the process 1200 may includeenabling the background process of the user device to manage secondhealth information (e.g., associated with the new data type). In someexamples, the process 1200 may end at 1216, where the service providercomputer may update the maintained data types with the new data type. Inother words, the service provider computers 304 may update their owntables or databases to include the new data type.

FIG. 13 illustrates another process 1300 for managing personalinformation from external sources, according to at least a fewembodiments. In some examples, the user device 102 (e.g., utilizing atleast the extension module 334 shown in FIG. 3) may perform the process1300 of FIG. 30. The process 1300 may begin at 1302 by includingreception of instructions for implementing a background process tomanage a first set of data types. In some cases, this first set of datatypes may be based at least in part on the data types in the originalimage for the user device 102 and/or for the first-party process 106. At1304, the process 1300 may include receiving a data download thatincludes information about the new data type. At 1306, the process 1300may include receiving, from an application (e.g., a third-partyapplication), a request to access data of the new data type. That is,once the new data type is implemented, third-party applications can makeAPI method calls that include that new data type as a parameter. In someexamples, the process 1300 may and at 1308, where the first-partyprocess 106 may provide the data entry corresponding to the new datatype to the requesting application.

FIG. 14 illustrates another example architecture 1400 for implementingadditional features of the management of personal information fromexternal sources, depicting the user device 102, the first-partyapplication framework 104, and the first-party process 106 of FIG. 1. Insome examples, and similar to FIG. 3, one or more third partyapplications (e.g., third-party application A 1402 and/or third-partyapplication B 1404) may be in communication with the first-partyapplication framework 104 and/or the first-party process 106 forproviding user information collected by one or more data collectiondevices (e.g., data collection device A 1406 and/or data collectiondevice B 1408), respectively. In some examples, the data collectiondevices 1406, 1408 may be any wearable or mobile device configured tocollect activity, health, medical, and/or fitness information about auser. This information may then be provided to one of the third-partyapplications (e.g., the third-party application A 1402 may receive datafrom the data collection device A 1406 and/or the data collection deviceB 1408) via one or more networks 1410 or 1412. Once received by thethird-party application A 1402, the information can be provided to thefirst-party process 106 for storage in a database or other storagesystem.

While the data collection device A 1406 is shown communicating with thethird-party application A 1402 over a network 1412, and the datacollection device B 1408 is shown communicating with the third-partyapplication B 1404 over the network 1412, it should be understood thatany combination of application-to-device(s) pairings are possible andthat such pairings may be facilitated by any number of different or samenetwork connections. Still, when the first-party process 106 is managinginput data from a plurality of different applications and/or a pluralityof different devices, the first-party process 106 may request priorityinformation from a user of the user device 102. In this way, the usermay provide priority information associated with which of the datacollection devices 1406, 1408 the user would prefer to track whenmultiple devices 1406, 1408 are providing data for the same data typeand/or for the same time period.

For example, the first-party process 106 may receive data entries fromboth the data collection device A 1406 and the data collection device B1408 for the same time period. The data may correspond to a particulardata type (e.g., heart rate), yet the data entries may differ slightly(e.g., the two collection devices 1406, 1408 may not be calibrated thesame or one might be more sensitive than the other). Instead of trackingboth data entries, the first-party process 106 may determine to trackonly one of the sets of data entries. Similarly, the first-party process106 may determine to track one set of data for a first set of time andthe other set of data for a second set of time. The determination ofwhich data entries to track may be based at least in part on a priorityset by the user, a type or kind of the data type (e.g., whether it iscumulative or discrete), timing information (e.g., what time the datawas received), and/or other information about the data entry.

Additionally, all of the data from the multiple sources may be tracked;however, only some of it may be aggregated into a data record that maybe provided or presented to the user via the user device 102. Forexample, the first-party application framework 104 may be configured toimplement a UI 1414 for presenting collected data (e.g., from a singleor multiple data collection devices 1406, 1408) and/or aggregated data(e.g., the data record). In some examples, the data record may also beprovided to one or more requesting entities (e.g., either or both of thethird-party applications 1402, 1404, or other third-party applications.The UI 1414 may be configured to present the aggregated data record orsubsets of the data record to the user.

For discrete data, the UI may present a different looking representationof the data than for cumulative data. As such, the first-party process106 may first identify whether the data to be provided to the UI 1414 isdiscrete or cumulative. The first-party process 106 may also identify ifthere is priority information provided by the user. If not, thefirst-party process 106 may determine priority information based atleast in part on previous configurations of the user, historical and/oruse information from other users of the device 102 or of other devices(e.g., a probability that the user will use the data collection device1406 at a particular time), and/or information about accuracy of therespective collection devices 1406, 1408. If priority informationexists, the first-party process 106 may use that priority information todetermine which collected data for a single data type should be includedin the data record for each time period or for each time segment of thetime period (e.g., each second of the 5 minute window of collected data,etc.). The priority information may be configured via the UI 1414, suchthat the user may slide, drag, or otherwise virtually move the sources(e.g., the data collection devices 1406, 1408) up and down to identify apreferred priority. As desired, the priority information and thereceived data entries may correspond to any number of data collectiondevices and/or applications.

The collected data may be segmented for each time period such that datais represented in a meaningful manner. For example, if a person nevertakes more than a single step per millisecond, using milliseconds as thesegmentation for steps would probably not provide meaningful results.However, if the lower bounds for steps were half a second (e.g., whensomeone is running) and 2 seconds (e.g., when someone is walking veryslow), then the segments for steps should be somewhere between 0.5 and 2seconds for a particular time window (e.g., an entire day or at leastthe hours that the user spends awake). As such, historical and/or useinformation for each data type may be collected and analyzed toautomatically identify appropriate segment bounds. In some cases, thismay avoid double counting, for example, when multiple data sources areproviding the same data entries for the same segment. In other examples,predefined segments may be used for each data type and/or informationabout the user collected from other sources, devices, applications, etc.

The first-party process 106 and/or the first-party application framework104 may provide API methods for third parties (e.g., the third-partyapplication 1402) to utilize to retrieve the aggregated data records. Inthis way, the third-party application 1402 may be able to customize arequest for aggregated data over a particular period of time and/or fora particular data type. As desired, the first-party process 106 mayrespond to the API method calls by providing an aggregated data recordthat includes data collected from sources other than the requestor(e.g., other than the third-party application 1402). This may enable oneapplication to receive an aggregated data record that is not solelybased on the data provided by that application. Additionally, the UI1414may be configured to provide cumulative and/or discrete data formultiple data sources to a user or other application.

FIG. 15 illustrates several example UI renderings within the UI 1414 ofFIG. 14. For example, for discrete data type presentations 1502, the UI1414 may be configured to represent each data entry as a data point on atime graph. As shown, for the discrete data type presentation 1502,there may be multiple data entries for each segment of the total timeperiod. For example, a user may have three different devices collectingtheir weight over the course of a day, week, month, etc. At eachsegment, the discrete data type presentation 1502 may include each dataentry received by the first-party process 106 from the three differentsources. Since weight is not a data type that would be added up overtime (e.g., it is discrete), it may be appropriate to present eachdifferent data point for each segment. In some examples, a prioritizedsource may be identified by a line or other interface object/elementthat highlights the data points from that source. Here, the lineconnecting the square points on the presentation 1502 is one example ofa way to represent priority or a preferred data source.

In some examples, when the data is cumulative, the data may be summed orotherwise added up over the entire time period. As shown in thecumulative data type presentation 1504, this may cause a double countingproblem when multiple sources provide data for the same time segments.For example, over the first third of the time period, the first-partyprocess 106 may only have received data from a first source (e.g., Anumber of steps). For a cumulative data type (e.g., steps walked), thedata entries at each segment may be added together to get a total.Similarly, at the last third of the time period, the first-party process106 may also have only received data from the first source (e.g., Cnumber of steps). However, if two sources provided step data during themiddle third of the time period, adding both B number of steps and alphanumber of steps would not provide an accurate total step count becausethe number of steps during that time period would be double counted orat least counted from two different sources. As such, using the priorityinformation collected from the user, the UI 1414 may be able to presenta piecemeal representation such as the prioritized cumulative data typepresentation 1506. In this presentation 1506, the alpha number of stepsmay have been identified as the user's prioritized data source for thissubset of the time period. As such, only alpha number of steps (e.g.,coming from one source) is shown during that subset of the time period,while A and C number of steps (e.g., coming from a different source).The total number of steps aggregated over the time period in thispresentation 1506 may be A+alpha+C, as opposed to A+B+alpha+C from thecumulative data type presentation 1504.

FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate example flow diagrams showing processes 1600and 1700 for managing personal information from external sources,according to at least a few embodiments. In some examples, the userdevice 102 (e.g., utilizing at least the aggregation module 340 shown inFIG. 3) may perform the process 1600 of FIG. 16. The process 1600 maybegin at 1602 by including identification of a particular data type of aplurality of data types. Identification of the particular data type mayinclude identifying the data type itself (e.g., number of steps, weight,heart rate, etc.) or identifying a type or kind of the data type (e.g.,cumulative or discrete). At 1604, the process 1600 may include receivinghealth data corresponding to particular the particular data entry fromat least a first data source and a second data source. The data sourcesmay be third-party applications, other (e.g., first-party) applications,and/or data collection devices. At 1606, the process 1600 may includereceiving priority information identifying a priority of the first andsecond sources. This priority information may be received via a UI wherethe user can virtually move icons or other source identifiers up anddown to indicate position, or it may be done in code, or using othertechniques such as, but not limited to, check boxes, radio buttons, dropdown lists, text entry (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.), or the like.

At 1608, the process 1600 may include identifying a time interval forpartitioning the health data. These partitions (also referred to assegments) may be based at least in part on user information, data typeinformation, historical and/or use data, or the like. At 1610, theprocess 1600 may include identifying a data entry corresponding to asource with the highest priority during each time interval or segment.In some examples, this may only apply when a data entry exists for thatsegment. At 1612, the process 1600 may include aggregating eachidentified data record over the amount of time (e.g., the day, an hour,etc.). In some cases, the process 1600 may end at 1614, where theprocess 1600 may include providing the aggregated data record forpresentation (e.g., to the user).

FIG. 17 illustrates another process 1700 for managing personalinformation from external sources, according to at least a fewembodiments. In some examples, the user device 102 (e.g., utilizing atleast the aggregation module 340 shown in FIG. 3) may perform theprocess 1700 of FIG. 17. The process 1700 may begin at 1702 by includingreceiving data of a particular data type from a first source and asecond source. At 1704, the process 1700 may include identifyingpriority information associated with the first source and the secondsource. For example, the priority information may indicate which of thefirst or second source, the user prefers to view data from when theyboth provide data for the same data type. At 1706, the process 1700 mayinclude aggregating the received data to form a data record over aperiod of time. The aggregated data record may be based at least in parton the priority information and/or a probability that the user willprefer (and/or use) one of the sources over the other one. At 1708, theprocess 1700 may include providing an API to the third-partyapplications for request the aggregated data record. The process 1700may end at 1710, where the process 1700 may include providing the datarecord to an application for presentation. A UI may be provided thatrepresents the aggregated data record such as, but not limited to, theprioritized cumulative data type presentation 1506 or something similar.

Illustrative methods and systems for managing user device connectionsare described above. Some or all of these systems and methods may, butneed not, be implemented at least partially by architectures such asthose shown at least in FIGS. 1-17 above. While many of the embodimentsare described above with reference to personal and/or health-relatedinformation, it should be understood any time of user information ornon-user information (e.g., data of any type) may be managed using thesetechniques. Further, in the foregoing description, various non-limitingexamples were described. For purposes of explanation, specificconfigurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the examples. However, it should also be apparent toone skilled in the art that the examples may be practiced without thespecific details. Furthermore, well-known features were sometimesomitted or simplified in order not to obscure the example beingdescribed.

The various embodiments further can be implemented in a wide variety ofoperating environments, which in some cases can include one or more usercomputers, computing devices or processing devices which can be used tooperate any of a number of applications. User devices (e.g., clientdevices) can include any type of general purpose personal computer suchas, but not limited to, desktop or laptop computers running a standardoperating system, as well as cellular, wireless, and/or handheld devicesrunning mobile software and capable of supporting a number of networkingand messaging protocols. These devices can also include other electronicdevices, such as dummy terminals, thin-clients, gaming systems, or otherdevices capable of communicating via a network.

Most embodiments utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, OSI, FTP,UPnP, NFS, CIFS, and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, a localarea network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network, and any combination thereof.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers. Alternatively, the memory can be remote fromany or all of the computers across the network. In a particular set ofembodiments, the information may reside in a storage-area network (SAN)familiar to those skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files forperforming the functions attributed to the computers, servers or othernetwork devices may be stored locally and/or remotely, as desired.

The system and various devices may also include one or more softwareapplications, modules, services, or other elements located within atleast one working memory device, including an operating system andapplication programs, such as a client application or browser. It shouldbe appreciated that alternate embodiments may have numerous variationsfrom that described above. For example, customized hardware might alsobe used and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware,software (including portable software, such as applets) or both.Further, connection to other computing devices such as networkinput/output devices may be employed.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereofare shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit thedisclosure to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructionsand equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure,as defined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in thecontext of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both thesingular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,”and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term“connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within,attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the disclosure anddoes not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe disclosure.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood within thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z).Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and shouldnot, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at leastone of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

Any of the methods described herein may be totally or partiallyperformed with a computer system including one or more processors, whichcan be configured to perform the steps. Thus, embodiments can bedirected to computer systems configured to perform the steps of any ofthe methods described herein, potentially with different componentsperforming a respective steps or a respective group of steps. Althoughpresented as numbered steps, steps of methods herein can be performed ata same time or in a different order. Additionally, portions of thesesteps may be used with portions of other steps from other methods. Also,all or portions of a step may be optional. Additionally, any of thesteps of any of the methods can be performed with modules, circuits, orother means for performing these steps.

The specific details of particular embodiments may be combined in anysuitable manner without departing from the spirit and scope ofembodiments of the disclosure. However, other embodiments of thedisclosure may be directed to specific embodiments relating to eachindividual aspect, or specific combinations of these individual aspects

The above description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure hasbeen presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the preciseform described, and many modifications and variations are possible inlight of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and itspractical applications to thereby enable others skilled in the art tobest utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:receiving, by a computer system, subscription information from anapplication that identifies at least one data type associated with userinformation collected during an activity of a user; receiving at least aportion of the user information corresponding to the at least one datatype; launching, by the computer system, the application as a backgroundprocess based at least in part on a frequency associated with thesubscription information; and relaunching, by the computer system, theapplication as the background process at least until receipt of aconfirmation that the application has processed the user informationcorresponding to the at least one data type.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the application is enabled to request thereceived portion of the user information while running as the backgroundprocess.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein theapplication is enabled to process the received portion of the userinformation and return the confirmation that the application hasprocessed the portion of the user information while running as thebackground process.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the subscription information identifies the data type and afrequency associated with the subscription.
 5. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 4, wherein the frequency identifies an amount of timebetween the receipt of the portion of the user information and launchingthe application as the background process.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, further comprising relaunching the application as thebackground process based at least in part on a time interval when theconfirmation is not received within the time interval.
 7. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the time interval isincreased after each relaunch of the application as the backgroundprocess.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theportion of the user information corresponding to the at least one datatype is received from a data collection device.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the frequency identifiesan amount of time between receipt of the portion of the user informationand launching the application as the background process.
 10. A system,comprising: a memory configured to store computer-executableinstructions; and a processor in communication with the memoryconfigured to execute the computer-executable instructions to at least:receive subscription information from an application that identifies adata type associated with user information collected during an activityof a user; launch the application as a background process at least inresponse to receipt of a portion of the user information thatcorresponds to the data type; and relaunch the application as thebackground process at least until receipt of a confirmation that theapplication has processed the portion of the user information.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the application is enabled to request thereceived portion of the user information while running as the backgroundprocess.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the application is enabledto process the received portion of the user information and return theconfirmation that the application has processed the portion of the userinformation while running as the background process.
 13. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the subscription information identifies the data typeand a frequency associated with the subscription.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the frequency identifies an amount of time between thereceipt of the portion of the user information and launching theapplication as the background process.
 15. A computer-readable storagemedium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by aprocessor, configure the processor to perform operations comprising:storing first data of a plurality of data types for a user; receiving,from a first application, a subscription to at least one of theplurality of data types; receiving, from a second application, seconddata of the plurality of data types the second data comprising userinformation collected during an activity of a user; launching the firstapplication as a background process after a first time period when thesubscription corresponds to the second data; and relaunching the firstapplication as the background process after a second time period when noconfirmation that the first application has processed the second datawithin the second time period is received.
 16. The computer-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the first application is athird-party application configured to process health informationassociated with a plurality of health data types.
 17. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second application isconfigured to receive the second data from a data collection deviceconfigured to collect health information of the user.
 18. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first application islaunched as the background process without receipt of an instruction,from the data collection device or the first application, to launch thefirst application.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, whereinthe first application is relaunched as the background process withoutreceipt of an instruction, from the data collection device or the firstapplication, to relaunch the first application.
 20. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first application isconfigured to request the second data while launched or relaunched asthe background process.